Page 49 of Saddle and Bound

"See? Nothing complicated," he says with an encouraging smile when we're done.

"Thanks," I reply, feeling a bit more confident. "Maybe I'm not a lost cause as a cowgirl after all."

Alex laughs. "Never had any doubts about you, princess."

As he returns to the tent, I look around, trying to absorb the beauty of the place. Suddenly, a movement among the trees catches my attention.

"Hey, look!" I exclaim excitedly, pointing to a spot among the trees. "A deer!"

Alex turns, smiling at my excitement. "Welcome to the wild, princess."

We spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the surroundings, Alex showing me the different plants and telling me stories about the local wildlife. I realize how little I know about this world, and how much I enjoy learning from him. His passion for nature is contagious, and I find myself asking question after question, absorbing every bit of information like a sponge.

As the sun begins to set, we return to the camp. Alex lights the campfire while I take out the food we brought. We sit close, enjoying dinner and the tranquility of the night falling around us.

"So," Alex says after a while, passing me a beer, "what do you think of the camper's life so far?"

I look at him, his face illuminated by the firelight. There's something magical about this moment, something that makes me feel more alive than ever.

"It's... different from anything I've ever done," I admit. "But in an incredibly good way. I feel... I don't know how to explain it. Free, maybe?"

He smiles, and I feel my heart speed up. "I'm glad you like it. Sometimes we need to get away from everything to remember who we really are."

His words strike me deeply. "Yes," I whisper, "I think you're right."

Silence falls between us, but it's not an awkward silence. It's comfortable, charged with something I can't quite define yet, but it makes me feel safe and excited at the same time.

"Alex," I finally say, looking at the stars above us, "thank you for bringing me here. For showing me all this. I don't think I've ever felt so... at peace."

He turns to me, his eyes shining in the firelight. For a moment, he seems about to say something important. Then, with a sweet smile, he simply says: "Thank you for coming, Rosie. For giving all this a chance."

At that moment, sitting next to Alex under a starry sky, with the crackling of the fire and the sound of nature around us, I realize that I'm falling. Falling hard. And the scariest thing is that I'm not sure I want to stop. The silence of the night is broken only by the crackling of the fire and the distant howl. Alex explains that there's nothing to fear, but I can't help but move a little closer to him.

"Are you cold?" he asks, noticing my movement.

"A little," I admit, though I'm not sure if it's really the cold or the emotion of the moment making me shiver. I had gotten used to the heat of the ranch... here the air is more mountainous.

Without hesitation, Alex gets up and goes to get a blanket from the pickup. He returns and wraps it around my shoulders, his arm staying draped over me for a moment longer than necessary.

"Better?" he asks, his voice low and warm.

I nod, unable to find words. His closeness, the warmth of the fire, the intimacy of the moment... everything feels so intense, so real.

"You know," Alex says after a while, looking at the stars, "when I was little, my father always used to take me camping here. He taught me the names of the constellations, told me stories about how cowboys of old used the stars to navigate."

I look at him, surprised by this unexpected openness. "That must have been nice," I say softly.

Alex nods, a nostalgic smile on his face. "It was. I miss him, you know? Even though he was tough on me sometimes, moments like these... they were special."

I feel a lump in my throat. "He... he's not here anymore?" I ask simply. I don't want to bring up sad topics... but I want to know more about him.

Alex seems lost in his thoughts then answers, "Both my parents are gone. My mom died giving birth to me... so I never knew her. My dad... well, he had a horse riding accident."

For a moment, I stop breathing.

Alex... always so cheerful and playful... I can't believe he carries such a sad past. Losing both parents is terrible. And he and his father seemed to be so close.

And that's not all... his father died in a horse riding accident... I can't help but think about how much Alex loves horses and how his greatest passion must remind him every day of what was probably the most tragic moment of his life.

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